Ulanzi / Falcam F38 Reliability Issue

[@philipfreire]

Thank you. I hope Ulanzi revises their product and sends out replacement units to you free of charge.

[@quagmire321able]

I doubt that will happen, I mean the replacement. Ulanzi or Falcam hasn't even replied to my questions about this issue since January this year.

[@TheFlashyWeasel]

Will the v2 plate work with a Sirui VA5 head clamp? My current arca swiss does not, the grooves are not wide enough....i have to piggyback that plate on Sirui's plate as i have a plunger type catch for my sholder strap on the tripod collar.

[@quagmire321able]

Not sure but my plates worked with all the Arca Swiss clamps I have (which includes a Sirui head clamp) and I don't have a VA5 clamp to test with.

[@BrutusFly]

I too have bought in fully to the F38 system. I haven't had any loosen yet, but by the time they do, I hope they have an updated version or I can come up with a modification. Such a great system otherwise.

[@vinse81]

That is not an issue (I don't know, maybe will be but after a lot of exploitation) but a feature. Ulanzi makes some of their products compatible with Peak Design base plates. I personally use Ulanzi and PD quick release systems. Ulanzi want PD base plates to be comparable with their quick release systems, but PD base plate are a bit wider (like 1mm or so) and Ulanzi need to make their quick release plate a little bit more wide. And the result is that when you slide PD base plate into Ulanzi quick release plate you almost don't have this plate "play", but when you slide Ulanzi base plate into Ulanzi quick release plate, you have a lot of plate "play". It is a necessary evil to have compatibility between those two systems

[@quagmire321able]

Great stuff, now I know why it has a bit of play. TQ 😁

[@stefanusadrian8398]

What do you think about strap clamp baseplate? Is there any wooble with that too? Im thinking to get one and i wont get it if it is rattling when we use it

[@quagmire321able]

@stefanusadrian8398 it does wobble a little if you shake the camera plate whether you have a camera mounted or not but once you attach it to a strap and some weight pulls the camera plate down a little and it doesn't feel loose. Hope this helps.

[@stefanusadrian8398]

@@quagmire321able is it convenience to use it ? Or is it better to attacht the strap directly to camera?

[@quagmire321able]

@@stefanusadrian8398 it's kinda nice since the camera now is attached at the bottom instead of both sides but it does add weight to the entire setup.... and I don't use mine anymore. IMHO, its a bit of a solution looking for a problem 😛

[@stefanusadrian8398]

@@quagmire321able im afraid i dont use it long time. Not cheap too. When shooting while attached on it, does it hinder our movement?

[@quagmire321able]

@@stefanusadrian8398 yes, it will hinder you if you don't release it from the baseplate when you shoot since it adds bulk (and weight) to your strap when you have it.

[@mazobojo]

To be fair, they have a v2 of the quick release mount you were showcasing the fault in at the beginning that has a better locking mechanism.

[@quagmire321able]

I am aware, was gonna buy a V2 to replace the worn one until I decided to just use Arca-Swiss clamps instead and AFAIK, the V2s are just adding compatability for the F50 clamps or base plates.

[@bubuli]

wow ok i'm fairly new to the F38 system (i bought their bag/belt v2 camera clip which has a slightly different but probably more "secure" mechanism) i did not realize that the plain F38 one has that one pin securing the whole plate? that seems a design issue ...since as you said it becomes less secure with the wear-and-tear of the plate. compare that to the tried-and-true Arca Swiss design where the pins are only there to prevent accidental dislodging of plate...but its main securing mechanism relies on gripping the plate...a bit more cumbersome (especially when not using the flip locks) but it's very secure even with a worn out plate.

[@STILLONTOP]

Just ordered is it belt compatible as well?

[@brentsealy9623]

I bought the f38 QR tripod and backpack clip for a trip to Colorado. The issue I'm having is the base plate refuses to stay tight on the bottom of my camera. I'm constantly having to use the little tool in the bottom of the tripod shaft, to tighten the base plate. I can probably use blue Loctite but then I really didnt want that stuff building up inside the threaded hole of the camera.

[@quagmire321able]

@brentsealy9623 Are you using the anti-twist plate with the stoppers? Those are the only ones I trust on an actual camera. There are two other versions, one is the original version with no anti-twist feature; the other is a new anti-twist version with no stoppers but with wider rubber top, new screw plus extra washers.

[@brentsealy9623]

@@quagmire321able to be honest, I have no idea what I've got. I just took it out of the box, screwed it into my camera and used it on my trip this week. It came with a Ziploc bag with an allen wrench and some rubber grommets. Maybe there's something in the bag I should be using.

[@quagmire321able]

@@brentsealy9623 this is the plate you want to use www.ulanzi.com/collections/falcam-f38-quick-release-series/products/ulanzi-falcam-f38-quick-release-top-plate-v2-2401a

[@brentsealy9623]

@@quagmire321able that does look slightly different from the one I have. Thank you!

[@markvesterby]

I tried the new f38 V2 top plate with the stopper, however, the stopper is made of plastic and has already deformed and is ready to break off after just one week of use. They need to machine the stopper as part of the aluminum top plate instead of having it as a plastic piece held on by a screw. My entire week of shooting was impacted by the plate coming loose and twisting. Now it's about to break and can't get it to stay straight at all. Very disappointed since I too made the investment in the Ulanzi F38 and F22 system.

[@tully667]

There is a reason why Arca Swiss QR has been around for decades. No Surprise about the garbage f38.

[@mengshun]

To be fair, Arca Swiss (AS) has had time to mature. Even today there's a lot of poor AS equipment out there. The F38 Pro mechanism appears to be a good long term solution. Let's allow Ulanzi to evolve the system in the next couple of years. Ulanzi has come a LONG way in multiple products in a short time. Ans as for AS, it's been decades but has almost no real QR snap system prior to Ulanzi, PGYTEch, Neewer and maybe some others - all very recent in AS history. Manfrotto has had one forever it seems. Cant fault Ulanzi for trying.